Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg gave the graduation speech at Harvard Business School this year, reports the Huffington Post. Her message? Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder. “Don’t plan too much, and don’t expect a direct climb,” she says. – Lauren Weber

Is workplace boredom as noxious as on-the-job stress? Studies have found that “boredom can unhinge even high-performing professionals, resulting in sabotage, withdrawal, abusing team members and purposely failing at tasks,” according to Forbes. – Rachel Emma Silverman

And finally…

Ikea had a few awkward incidents when introducing its quirky Swedish-named furniture to Thailand, according to this Wall Street Journal piece. While the Jättebra plant pot might look innocent enough in-store (and lovely sitting between your Redalen bed and Billy bookcase), reading the label at the Bangkok outlet might make you blush. A good lesson for all about what can get lost in translation. – Melissa KornRead More »

You may want to think twice about how much you “like” that friend’s Facebook status or whether you really want to retweet that funny comment after reading this Marketwatch story on how abusing — or even just using — social media can sabotage your career. – Melissa Korn

The name says it all: How to Fire a Colleague but Keep a Friend. On this “quease-inducing dilemma,” from a business owner whose colleague/friend is described as arrogant and brusque, the author of this etiquette blog, How to Do the Right Thing, recommends a gentle version of the truth or a plausible lie, along the lines of “We’re phasing out the kind of work you do.” – Lauren Weber

While fellow bank J.P. Morgan Chase squirms in the limelight over a recent trade gone sour, Goldman Sachs has been quietly undergoing an image makeover, according to New York Magazine. Among other PR tactics, CEO Lloyd Blankfein has been cozying up to print reporters, granting TV interviews and speaking out in support of gay marriage. – Leslie Kwoh

Say, what? Harvard Business Review’s daily stat (based on a New York Times report) says overhearing office mates’ conversations can cause a 5%-10% decline in your ability to read, write and carry out other tasks that require short-term memory use. – Melissa Korn

And finally…

Slate offers an illustrated history of office chairs—and why there’s no such thing as a universally perfect seat for work. – Rachel Emma SilvermanRead More »

Beauty pays. New research finds that better-looking bosses correlate with better firm performance, perhaps because the handsomer men were more used to being placed in powerful roles, notes a piece in London Business School’s Business Strategy Review. – Rachel Emma Silverman

A study published in June’s American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds long commutes are bad for your health. Those with lengthy trips to the office are generally less fit, heavier and have higher blood pressure. The negative impact starts to show up with commutes as short as 10 miles each way. (Hat tip Freakonomics.) — Melissa Korn

If you’re one of those people who’s convinced that sitting can kill you, The Wirecutter‘s very thorough rundown of standing desks is worth a read. –Nikki Waller

In case you missed it, here’s a Wall Street Journal story about teaching slang to help non-native English speakers in the workplace. But when’s the last time you used “Valley girl,” “dude” or “hookup” around the office? – Melissa Korn

In Wednesday’s Journal, I wrote a piece with my colleague Lauren Weber on how companies such as Cisco and Booz Allen Hamilton are boosting their internal hiring practices. (In other words, hiring from within the organization rather than always looking to fill open slots with outsiders.)

For the longest time, the expression “work-life balance” has conjured images of working mothers. Fathers? Not so much. And single or childless people were left out of the conversation altogether.

Moms, after all, have traditionally been the ones expected to juggle a job, along with children, housework and the majority of other domestic chores.

It’s only recently that large numbers of men have made their family lives as high a priority as their careers, note researchers at the Families and Work Institute. The result? Men are starting to experience some of the same conflicts and stresses as their female counterparts (See: The New Male Mystique).

There’s no question that the office can be a terrible place to work. Co-workers stopping by your desk to chat is the No. 1 on-the-job distraction, cited by 27% of 500 executives in a recent survey by Creative Group, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing company specializing in creative, advertising and marketing professionals. While many employers are using open-plan offices, with low or no walls between co-workers to aid collaboration, the trend also can fuel distractions.

Age 40 might really be over the hill, at least when it comes to salaries for women, according to a new PayScale survey. The results show women’s earnings generally max out around age 39, while pay continues to rise for men until age 48. The New York Times’ Economix blog offers a visual. – Melissa Korn

What’s that you say? Don’t shout? The New York Times looks at vocal volume in the workplace, and when it’s best to use your inside voice. – Melissa Korn

Have spring — or summer — fever and just want to be outside? Harvard Business Review takes a look at some very cool outdoor offices. One London prototype features a garden workspace with just enough shady spots to minimize glare on laptop screens. – Rachel Emma Silverman

And finally…

Glamour Magazine reflects on the entry-level assistant job. Think college was tough? Think again. This Glamour writer “got yelled at for not stapling correctly.” Just goes to show life really was hard back then, however rosy it might look in retrospect. — Francesca DonnerRead More »

To do or not to do, that is the question. If you keep a to-do list, you’re in the majority. A full 63% of professionals use them according to a LinkedIn study released Tuesday. (Hat tip: CareerDiva). But never fear, only 11% of professionals globally report actually accomplishing all the tasks they plan to do in a given workday. So, if your list feels never-ending, you’re probably not alone. – Francesca Donner

Some hilarious responses to a contest in The Week (the challenge: Come up with the title of an arcane Ph.D. thesis least likely to result in a job), though the underlying statistic is sobering: the number of Ph.D.s on food stamps and other public benefits tripled to nearly 34,000 between 2007 and 2010, according to the Urban Institute. – Lauren Weber

What happened when some Bain consultants encountered wild buffalo? Lucy Kellaway of the Financial Times on a management consulting adventure. (Registration required.) — Nikki Waller

Large companies still offer pension plans to many of their workers. Two-thirds of 424 midsize and large employers who offer pensions to new hires say they “remain committed” to doing so over the next few years, according to a recent survey by benefits consultant Towers Watson, reports the WSJ’s Total Return blog. Their reasons: to attract and retain workers, and to boost morale. – Rachel Emma Silverman

And finally…

Those searching for a startup job, read this: The Billfold rounds up Marc Andreessen, Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos on the hallmarks of a good tech hire. Would you make the cut? – Nikki WallerRead More »

Think you work long days? Vulture.com writer and television producer Gavin Polone talks to drivers, wardrobe coordinators, script supervisors and others who log punishing 16-hour days, often for weeks at a stretch. – Nikki Waller

Eye candy for at-home workers seeking fresh desk setups, from Decoist.com. Scroll through for dozens of pictures of nifty bookshelves, file cabinets and clutter control for spaces large and small. Our favorite: the “library” desk: a massive stack of books with a sheet of glass on top for a steady writing surface. — Melissa Korn

Career-advice blogger Tim Murphy gives a blow-by-blow, in four short installments, of how he applied for – and was offered! – a job he says he wasn’t really qualified for. Among other things, he rewrote his resume so that it was laser-focused on the skills mentioned in the job listing. – Lauren Weber

One small-business owner explains his decision to fire staff to the New York Times. Yes, employees were some of his company’s greatest assets, he says – but also his greatest liabilities. – Leslie Kwoh

And finally…

Everyone knows a co-worker from hell, be it the Grump, Bully, Clinger or Gossip. The best way to sidestep a Chatty Cathy, according to Brazen Careerist’s guide to dealing with difficult colleagues: “Just tell them you have work to do.” Oh, if only it were that easy! – Leslie KwohRead More »

Hate buzzwords if you must, but our affinity for them may stem from a basic human desire for acceptance, experts say. Often, people use buzzwords not to convey factual meaning, but to show they belong to a social group… Read More »

About At Work

Written and edited by The Wall Street Journal’s Management & Careers group, At Work covers life on the job, from getting ahead to managing staff to finding passion and purpose in the office. Tips, questions? email us.